


Rise of the Ladybug

by KestraEchoWolf



Series: Court of Miracles [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Again, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Archive Warnings will come, Court of Miracles series, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Drama, F/M, FREEFORM OH MY!, Fairies, Falling In Love, Headcanon Accepted, Humans, Immortals, Inspired by Moana (2016), Inspired by Music, Kestra EchoWolf Author, MY AU!, Mythology - Freeform, Not (completely) Canon compliant, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, True Mates, Warnings May Change, Werecats, Witches, Yes there will be singing/music in this fic, all outside sources credited, angst (some), buckle up buttercup!, magick, sorcery, this is a MATURE fic, what secret identity?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 01:12:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8824156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KestraEchoWolf/pseuds/KestraEchoWolf
Summary: It had been over a thousand years since the Akuma Wars began.A thousand years of human turmoil, envy, gluttony, lust, fear, hatred, and sadness.A thousand years after King Kallam’s disappearance…A thousand years since Queen Miracula went on her hunt to find her lost love and mate.Without either goddess or god to defend against the threat of akumas, the duty fell to their kwami children.What no one expected… was for Queen Miracula to disappear too.





	

**Author's Note:**

> You asked.
> 
> And here it begins.
> 
> This is the full fic that is based on 'An Innocent Warrior named Queen Miracula.'

It had been over a thousand years since the Akuma Wars began.

A thousand years of human turmoil, envy, gluttony, lust, fear, hatred, and sadness.

A thousand years after King Kallam’s disappearance…

A thousand years since Queen Miracula went on her hunt to find her lost love and mate.

Without either goddess or god to defend against the threat of akumas, the duty fell to their kwami children.

What no one expected… was for Queen Miracula to disappear too.

* * *

Tikki flew fast across the skies, scarlet dragon wings holding her aloft as she searched back and forth through both the immortal and mortal realms for her missing gods. Being one of the kwamis without a charge currently in her Court, the duty fell to her. Not that she minded, honestly.

However, the skies felt empty without her lady’s song to fill them. She missed how Miracula and Kallam would dance together… two forces of immense power so deeply in love.

Tikki remembered the day when King Kallam disappeared. Her queen’s shock and anguish over discovering him missing had shaken _all_  of the worlds.

No one believed that the King of Chaos and Destruction was dead. He was far too skilled a fighter ever to be defeated. There was no force in any of the worlds that could destroy _him._  And it’s not that other gods of chaos, war, famine and the like haven’t tried.

However, the Thousand Year Akuma Wars had taken a hefty toll on the humans that their Majesties protected. The kwamis had done their best, forming bands of honor bound warriors called the Court of Miracles all throughout the world. Tikki, herself, belonged to the Court of Scarlet Dawn that guarded the islands that she passed over now.

 _Many of which are mostly uninhabited now,_  she thought sadly. The Akuma battles here had caused extensive disease and famine to spread to the islands; twisting their very natures into something far too dangerous for humans to exist peacefully. However, Tikki patrolled the _whole_  territory without fail, even though many of her Court give the infected islands a _wide_ berth. But Queen Miracula loved the sea and the islands, being a goddess of water and the moon. She was born from the ocean and treasured her origins. Tikki would _not_  allow anything more to happen to them under her watch.

She circled Graceful Crescent when she heard it and paused. She gazed around, frowning in puzzlement. This island was abandoned more recently, despite being an _extremely_  prosperous fishing port. She circled closer, folding her dragon wings closer to her shoulders when she felt lingering akuma magick.

 _There shouldn’t be anything here,_  she told herself.

But why did she hear _a baby crying?!_

No… no, it wasn’t possible… could the humans have abandoned one of their own?

No, the more rational explanation would be that the wails were from an Akuma’s trap, set and then left and forgotten.

However, something tugged at Tikki’s magick. She… _felt_ … something alive. Something… _dripping_  with creative essence; like another kwami, or perhaps another immortal. Circling low again, she searched the twisted and blackened treeline on the island. The sand was scorched, scarred and the rocks charred from the battle. She wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell, “Hello?” she called out.

No one answered, but the baby’s crying seemed to increase in volume.

Tikki called out again, this time in Elvish, and then again in pixy. No one answered back, but the child’s wailing began to become sharper.

_“Tulou!”_

Tikki snapped to attention, “Queen Miracula?!” she shouted back.

 _“Tulou!”_ A pause. “ _Tagaloa!”_

Tikki didn’t hesitate for a second as she followed the voice, half mad with conviction that it was her queen. She would know her voice no matter how much time passed! She dove into the diseased island’s foliage, drawing out her sword and hacking away at any wild growth that tried to attack her for her magick.

When she broke through into a clearing, the scarlet haired kwami nearly dropped her weapon in shock. The baby’s cries were loud now, piercing her sensitive hearing like daggers over and over again. However, what she was witnessing had kept her rooted to where she stood.

The _whole clearing_  was free of disease and miasma from the akuma attack. The grass was green and healthy, trees standing tall and proud and flowering…  and in the center of it all, in a cradle of wild blue moon roses, lay a babe in soiled swaddling.

At first, Tikki didn’t dare to move. She peeked up into the open sky and saw that the clouds of miasma were circling the clearing… like it couldn’t get through.  When she was sure she wouldn’t be attacked, the kwami ventured inside and immediately felt her anxieties decrease. She moved more swiftly now that the baby had seen her and began outright _screaming_  at her.

“Shhh _shhh!_ It’s alright little one; I’m here now…” Tikki tried to soothe as she bent down to the child’s side. “Where is your mother? Did she leave you here?” The baby couldn’t answer but continued to wail red faced at her. The kwami carefully picked up the baby and looked around for footprints in the grass, anything to indicate that a surviving adult was here _with_ this infant.

“Hello? Is anyone here? My name is Tikki! You can come out; I swear I won’t harm you or your child.”

The baby cried louder, making Tikki wince and hold them at arms reach. “And your baby needs attending!”

No one answered. Tikki carefully placed the infant back into its crib and searched through the whole clearing and found no trace of any other life. No parent, no sibling… no animal tracks or smells or sounds. The clearing was completely deserted. Puzzled, Tikki returned to the infant and gently picked her up. The wind chose that second to pick up, causing the kwami to wrinkle her nose in disgust over the smell of a soiled under-cloth.

“Oh, you poor thing… how long have you been in that?” Another careful sniff and Tikki held the baby out at arm’s length again with a gag. “Far too long…” Looking about for some way to leave a message, the kwami walked to a blossom tree and placed her palm against the smooth bark. An outline of scarlet light appeared for a moment before she removed her hand. Her print remained in the bark as if it had always dwelled there, with Tikki’s personal sigil of the Ladybug and the Court of Scarlet Dawn’s sigil.

“Honored sister, will you keep my message until the baby’s parents come back?” The blossom tree shivered only once in reply before new buds blossomed underneath the symbol. Tikki curtsied gratefully before turning back to the child. “There, now when your parents come looking for you, they can sail to the Court to collect you. Now… let’s get you cleaned up.”

Opening her wings, Tikki drew her sword once more and held it at the ready at her side. “Oh I’m _not_  going to enjoy this,” she thought as she carefully pressed the crying infant to her side. The child’s sobs had quieted, but they were still _clearly_  unhappy and needed changing. _I will need to burn this tunic when I’m through,_  she thought. _I will never get the smell out._

As she stepped back into the forest, Tikki shrieked ins surprise as the once brittle undergrowth became green and healthy again under her foot. Miasma that had previously been in the air in front of them suddenly dissipated and turned back into clean air. Tikki slowly looked down into the baby’s shining, tear glossed blue eyes in shock. “Are you doing this?!”

Naturally, she got no reply. However, now that her trek was much easier to make, Tikki hurried back to the beach and promptly placed her charge in the shallow seawater. The crystal waves immediately discolored with filth and Tikki sent a swift prayer to any water gods within range for her work.

The baby was a girl, whom quickly quieted down when Tikki began cleaning her with a hacked piece of her tunic and sea water. “I know it’s not ideal,” the kwami told her. “But we will have clean under-cloths and things for you back at the Court. But I will _not_  be flying with you while soiled my little one.”

The baby giggled, splashing merrily in the waves as the currents took away the dirty water. Tikki offered a nervous smile and glanced back, half expecting to hear shouts of fear and outrage from worried parents… but none came. She frowned, “Where are your mother and father?” she asked.

The blue-eyed girl looked up, placing a curly shell in between her lips and sucking loudly. Fat tears pooled and spilled down her pale cheeks, and she whimpered pitifully. Tikki’s heart, though already tender for infant human children, cracked instantly. The poor thing was hungry. She looked around for any plant that would service for any sustenance but found none. “I”m sorry little one, I don’t have any food with me. I wasn’t expecting to find _you_  out her,” she giggled softly.

The baby gurgled and cooed as the kwami swept her into her arms and dried her with a piece of her cloak. Immediately the child began to grope at the scarlet woman’s tunic, dropping her seashell. Tikki’s cheeks flushed as red as her hair and quickly caught the seeking hands. “No, no! I promise you I have _no_  milk. Oh no-nonono, _please don’t cry._ I know you’re hungry.” Unfortunately, fate was against Tikki as the baby began to cry again.

The kwami held the child tight to her chest and immediately took flight into the star-lit sky. She rocked back and forth in flight, hoping to lull the girl to sleep. Her plan didn’t _quite_  succeed, but the infant did calm down. She gazed up at Tikki with wide, curious eyes. Tikki smiled down at her. “You know, with your cheeks so rosy from crying, it almost looks like you have two little ladybugs on your face,” she teased, stroking a finger gently over the reddened areas. The baby smiled and giggled once, grasping the hand and pulling the kwami’s finger into her mouth to suck.

Tikki sighed, “Well if you must try _something.”_  The remainder of her flight was blissfully quieter as she crossed from infected island lines back into inhabited areas. She briefly considered stopping at one of the human settlements to surrender her charge but quickly dismissed the idea. Her message stated quite clearly _she_  was watching over this child. And so she shall keep to her word.

Then a thought came to her mind. “You know… I don’t even know your name, little ladybug.”

The baby blinked at her silently. It was then that the scarlet haired kwami realized that she could see the infant more clearly now… and that there were hues of purple and blue in her hair. She could see her freckles too. Looking up, she realized that the sun was beginning to rise. She breathed in awe as she watched the sky god’s, Nathio, creation unfold into dawn. _He’s always been such a gifted artist,_  she thought in admiration.

Then a name came to her, unbidden. The sound, when it came, was not one that Tikki had ever heard before. It was a whisper, but it was clear to her. She looked down at the blue-eyed babe, “Marinette?” The baby immediately perked to attention. Tikki’s breath went out in a whoosh.

Of course, this babe would be called, ‘The one who rises.’

“How fitting that I should find you right before sunrise, little Marinette. It's an honor to meet you, I'm Tikki of the Court of Scarlet Dawn.” The baby gurgled cutely and sucked vigorously on the kwami's finger. Smiling softly, she angled hr wings and flew off in the direction of her home.

**Author's Note:**

> (Heads up, this is a LONG note)
> 
> *bites nails* Do you know HOW LONG it took me to come up with this??? How many DRAFTS I did??? JHRC man... too many, that's what!
> 
> I know many of you were looking for King Kallam's and Queen Miracula's origin in the prologue, but honestly it just *wouldn't* come no matter how hard I try. Truth be told, this is an MLB story in an AU I completely made up.
> 
> Actually, my muse should be pretty damn happy. I'm putting two plots together in one! Yay! GO ME! *does a dance* That's right, I have Queen Miracula's story COMBINED with the Court of Miracles plotline that I've been trying to get out for... ever.
> 
> If you have been subscribed to my feed already, you will either remember (or not) that I had a Court of Miracles fic in a Tortall crossover already. That fic, so that no one gets confused between plots, is DELETED.  
> It no longer exists so don't go looking for it. It's gone, finito, adios!
> 
> I have a feeling that this will be the Court of Miracles origin (and maybe a few spinoff/ oneshot/twoshot/threeshot.... you get the idea)
> 
> So what do you think? I'm pretty damn satisfied (and so is my muse. Go figure.)
> 
> To clarify Tikki's image, yes she IS the small lovable Ladybug that we all are familiar with, however in this universe, Kwamis have a sort of human looking appearance as well. Think... fairy-esque, only with dragon wings. Crimson with ebony scales.
> 
> You will note in my other fiction works that I almost ALWAYS depict Tikki as some sort of dragon when writing her as a guardian of luck. Which will come into fruition later in the story.
> 
> Unfortunately I don't really have any art to reference to show you examples. But if you're interested on trying, I'd be glad to chat with you off site on Tumblr at http://kestraechowolf.tumblr.com/
> 
> Again, your choice.
> 
> Now for the nitty gritty: what did you think............. let me know in the comments below?
> 
> ALSO! I'm unable to link any video/audio here on AO3 like I can on Tumblr. So if you want to hear any songs that I reference, you can check out my tumblr to get the vibe, or go to the video/audio links provided as the chapters progress.
> 
> See you in the comments!  
> -Kestra


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